We're passionate about traveling with kids and want families everywhere to love it as much as we do.

If you find our tips and advice useful, using our Check Availability button for any property featured in the CB! Hotel Collection ensures that we get compensated for our efforts. And the beauty is, it costs you nothing! Hotels pay us a commission when a referral comes from us. Using our Check Availability button also gets you the latest and greatest pricing!

Switzerland

Switzerland is a vision of pastoral mountain villages and pristine lakes that entertains during all seasons. Landlocked and bordered by five countries, it’s possible to get a taste of Europe or put a foot or ski in another country during a day’s travels. Switzerland with kids is an outdoor playground that thrills with Europe’s highest peaks and mind-blowing train rides that scale mountains to reach idyllic villages like Zermatt, that sit in the shadow of the famous Matterhorn. The two main Swiss airports are Zurich International (ZRH) and Geneva International (GVA).

Family hotels in Switzerland come in all shapes and sizes including luxurious old-world hotels in the cosmopolitan cities and all-season ski resorts and lakeside retreats set in the mountains.

Hotel Angleterre & Residence is the perfect mix of an extremely well-appointed upscale hotel paired with a casual atmosphere that makes it comfortable with young children. Set on Lake Geneva with spectacular views of France and the Alps across the way, the location is unbeatable for this area. Easy access to the railway system as…

Badrutt’s Palace Hotel has a wonderful indoor pool and fantastic mountain views. Although this is one of Switzerland’s landmark luxury hotels, it is very child-friendly. My kids enjoyed the Heidi House – a supervised play area with activities and movies. There is special attention paid to families, with a kid’s welcome gift and the staff…

There is a very good reason why CERVO Mountain Boutique Resort in Zermatt has a fast-growing fan club. This 36-room boutique luxury hotel offers a unique, highly personalized guest experience in a town that lives for tourists. The brilliant brainchild of Zermatt local Daniel F. Lauber, CERVO is stylish, convivial, and comfortable. Part of the prestigious Design…

Some of Switzerland’s smaller villages have a fantastic ski set up for families, like Villars-sur-Ollon, located just 45 minutes from Lake Geneva and Lausanne. Chalet RoyAlp Hotel & Spa makes a wonderful winter or summer home base with a variety of resort amenities including an indoor pool, winter kids’ club, a game room, spa, and…

The Firefly stands out as a truly exceptional boutique hotel experience in a village that is jam-packed with accommodation options. The highlight for families is the massive apartment-style rooms with one to four bedrooms; these suites sleep up to eight people, making them ideal for extended family or small groups. Stylish, modern design meets mountain…

Hotel Bodmi is an excellent example of a Swiss three-star hotel that would be classified as a four-star property in any other part of the world. Located on a grassy/snowy knoll above the town of Grindelwald, it has magnificent views of the Eiger and surrounding peaks. The hotel’s position is ideal, as it allows guests…

A mountain lover’s dream come true, Mürren is dramatically perched above a steep valley at 1,650 meters (5,413 feet) with the ultimate view of the Eiger, Jungfrau, and Mönch peaks. Accessible only via cable car or train, this car-free village is wondrous for all ages. Run by the same family for four generations, Hotel Eiger…

Hotel Meierhof is an excellent year-round base for a family vacation in Davos. It’s all about easily accessing the plethora of incredible outdoor activities in this area, and the hotel location in the heart of city is extremely convenient. The ski bus stops outside the front door. A wide variety of shops and restaurant are…

Hotel Silvana offers families an authentic and unique way to experience Zermatt. This family-owned gem is located in the outside of town in the mountains below the Matterhorn. Electric taxis are available to transport luggage, but guests can hike, take the gondola, or ski the door. The owners have created a cozy space inside with a cute…

One of the oldest inns in Zurich, Marktgasse Hotel provides a cozy, welcoming base for families with children of all ages. The 39-room property offers wonderful spaces to relax, including a library and work area with toys, as well as a wonderful selection of books that can be borrowed. The design is stylish and modern.…

CB Editorial

Luzern (not Lausanne!) can be found at the heart of Central Switzerland. Only an hour by train away from Zurich and an hour and a half away from Basel, Luzern is easier to get to than most people think.

Certain hotels are an experience in themselves. Hôtel Palafitte, on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, is one such place. This is not your typical European-style accommodation, as it is the only hotel in Europe with rooms built on stilts above the water. While the city of Neuchâtel is only minutes away, it seems to fade into the background…

The Swiss are renowned for impeccable, personalized service and the Beau-Rivage Palace on the Swiss Riviera is the gold standard. Located in a prime spot in Lausanne just steps from Lake Geneva on immaculately maintained grounds, this five-star hotel has stunning views across Lake Geneva (Lac Leman) to Evian in France. Despite its legendary luxury status, the…

Big news! Asia’s superstar GHM Hotels, just opened their first property in Europe, The Chedi Andermatt. It took five years to build this 105-room luxury masterpiece in the Swiss Alps, and boy is it worth the wait. The hotel’s designers describe the décor as Alpine chic. Wood and local granite are united to create stylish public and…

It’s no secret that Abercrombie & Kent is one of the most coveted brands in the world when it comes to luxury travel, with or without children. Known as A&K, this premium tour operator runs both independent and group trips all over the world. What people don’t always realize is that A&K has a fast-growing villa business offering luxury…

When I first heard about the opening of The Alpina Gstaad in Switzerland, I expected that the hotel would be like many other five-star properties around the country — a gorgeous but formal, traditional affair where children and their parents feel the need to talk in their quiet voice. After my visit this summer I learned that this assumption…

Geneva is synonymous with international wealth and power. It’s not surprising that there is a long list of luxury brands catering to business and leisure travelers alike, which makes achieving any sort of ‘wow factor’ a challenge. Yet the Four Seasons des Bergues Geneva manages to sweep the world’s most demanding travelers off their feet … and be kid-friendly at the same time.

Without a doubt, one of the most spectacular activities in Switzerland with kids is to ride the Jungfrau Railway to the Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe at 3,454 meters/11,332 feet. We never got the chance to do this when we lived in Switzerland, but were able to fit it in a on our trip last month and we all loved this experience.

Late April and May is Narcissus season around Lake Geneva (Lac Leman) in Switzerland. The Paper White varietal cover the fields in the mountains above the lake — they smell and look amazing. The best way to view these flowers is to go on a hike so you can get into the thick of them. I have a few favorites kid-friendly hikes around Lake Geneva that provide wonderful views of Narcissus blooms.

Although we were able to ski at epic Swiss ski resorts including Davos, Zermatt, Grindelwald, Verbier, and Crans-Montana during our two years in Switzerland, one of my regrets is that we never got to Adelboden for a family ski holiday. Located at the end of a glorious valley in the Bernese Alps, Adelboden feels remote, yet it is easily accessible from both Zurich and Geneva via car or train.